Spawning Stories, Hatching Change

Year 2009
Proponent Williams Lake Field Naturalists/Scout Island Nature Centre
Project type Engagement
FSWP funding source Living Rivers
Grant amount $12,445
Total project value $26,285
ID number 09-LR104-E

Location: Cariboo-Chilcotin

Project Summary

Overview

“Only in a deep and inherent feeling for the land can there be dedication to preserving it.”—Sigurd Olson, wilderness guide

There’s a paradox in rural attitudes to Nature.  We treasure the clean air and water, presence of wildlife and sparsely populated landscape.  Yet those very treasures can engender an illusion of immunity from the degradation we see in cities.  Frontier attitudes persist in exploitive behaviour.

Small cities like Williams Lake face different challenges from those of tiny satellite villages, First Nations reserves and isolated ranches, and all differ in some respects from those of cities.  Alternatives also vary widely; social marketing often overlooks rural realities. 

“Spawning Stories, Hatching Change” seeks to change those attitudes and address those challenges, in ways that people like us can embrace.  The field trips will engender a feeling of responsibility for watershed health.  Pledging realistic behaviour changes will empower participants to act on that feeling.  Gaining story-telling skills will enable them to influence a wider audience.  Presenting their stories at the Salmon Festival and distributing the whole project so other rural communities can spawn their own stories will hatch more stewards and advocates who see the whole world as “all my relations”.

Objectives
1. To guide participants into the wonders and mysteries of nature and educate them about their role in this natural community through field trips that engage mind, emotions and spirit.
2. To empower participants to be part of the change by committing in writing to reduce their Ecological Footprint on the natural community through lifestyle changes inspired by field trip awareness
3. To mentor participants who want to celebrate nature through original stories in various media portraying human appreciation of the natural community and acting responsibly in the family of creation
4. To present the products of Objective 3 at the Stewardship Festivals and create a marketing package for distribution to other rural organizations for use as a social marketing tool.

Methods

“Only if we understand will we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.” Dr.Jane Goodall

This project offers: Nature experience for understanding, stories for caring, commitment to sustainable life choices for helping

Field Trips at the Nature Centre will guide Grade 5-11 classes and community groups in sensory experiences, developing observation skills, and learning around natural history themes.  First Nations stories will help participants see “themselves as participants in a great natural order of life, related in some fundamental manner to every other living species.” (Vine Deloria Jr.) Ecological footprint concepts will be incorporated, and participants will pledge in writing to behaviour changes related to the theme . Trip leaders will be available for mentoring

Public Field Trips (SINC, Riparian Conservation Area, WL River Valley and Quesnel River Research Centre) These half-day excursions will follow the same format. All field trip participants will be invited to the next phase.

Story Development Workshops will help participants grow their own stories emphasizing human integration in nature and showing rural people living sustainably.  Professional mentors with expertise in the arts will lead these sessions and be available for further assistance.  Their roles are: Barbara Bearman, prose and poetry stories;  Pharis Romero, song-writing; Sidonie Boll, drama.  Youth mentor Jessica Knodel and others will mentor videography.

Presentation at Horsefly Salmon Festival and Rivers Day: Performances and story-telling will be digitally recorded.

Social Marketing package development by Environmental Educator: stories in written and digital form, a guide to help other rural communities use our model, including field trip outlines, suggested behaviour changes stemming from our stories; summary of commitments and actions; pledge forms; copies of media coverage. Some packages in hard copy will be given away, others can be purchased; also downloadable for free from website.



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